On Friday morning, over 200 athletes took to the air as 45 medals were awarded to 23 different nations in the High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump and Pole Vault.

Six Championship Records were set. In the Women’s High Jump, 70-74, 65-69 and 60-64 age groups Team USA’s Rita Hanscom, Ireland’s Edel Maguire and Team USA’s Neringa Jakstiene set new marks at 1.23m, 1.34m, and 1.39m. In the Long Jump, Saudi Arabia’s Salem Alahmadi rewrote the record book with a distance of 6.04m. In the Men’s Pole Vault, Germany’s Dennis Schober 35-44 and Denis Kholev 45-49, of Team USA, raised the bar with heights of 5.10m and 4.80m.

“It’s always a work in progress,” said Kholev. “Records come and it’s fantastic but when performance is correct, records come. The atmosphere is so inspirational here. I brought my parents with me, and this is a great feeling.”

The Women’s 200m finals saw a World Record fall. Carole Lafayette-Boyd’s run of 35.51 set a new WR in the W80-85 age group. Four Championship Records were also rewritten. Sweden’s Helen Hermundstad W50-54 sprinted to a 26.05. Team USA’s Amanda Roberts W35-39 jetted to a 25.68 along with Easter Grant W40-44 who sprinted to a 24.74. Milcent Ndoro M35-39, of Kenya, ran a blistering 24.48.

In Indoor Throws, two more Championship Records were set. In the Men’s Weight Throw, Team USA’s Ja’Mar Watson M35-39 and Paul Markel M45-49 added Championships Record at 18.39m and 19.35m. The Stars and Stripes completed the Golden trifecta in Weight Throw with Peter Knaus M40-44 at 17.30m. In Women’s Shot Put, three different countries won Gold. Columbia’s Yaneth Tenorio W65-69, Germany’s Jana Muller-Schmidt W60-64 and Ukraine’s Svitlana Sorochuk W55-59 all heard their national anthem’s play.

At West End, Outdoor Throws saw Team USA and Finland duel it out. The two nations claimed Gold in seven of the eight events. Team USA led the way with four Golds followed by the Finns three. Austria picked up the other Gold in M80-84 Hammer. Great Britain, Poland, Switzerland, Denmark and Canada also found themselves on the podium.

As the WMA’s “Day 6” concluded, 58 different countries have medaled. Team USA leads the way with 328 total, followed by Great Britain’s 58 and Germany’s 43.

Saturday morning, at 8 a.m., the Men’s 10K road race begins followed by the Women’s 10K at 8:10 a.m. At 9 a.m., 16 more Jumping Events will get underway, at the Alachua County Sports and Events Center, starting with the M35-39 Long Jump, followed by W55-59 High Jump and M65-69 Triple Jump. During that time the Men’s and Women’s 400m semi-finals begin in all categories. At 3:50 p.m., the finals begin in the Women’s 1500m with the 80+ age group hitting the track. At 5:20 p.m. the Men’s 1500m get underway with the 85+ age group. At West End, at 9 a.m., the Outdoor Throws continue with the M75-79 Javelin, the W45-49 Discus, and the M65-69 Hammer.

In addition, on Saturday, Bennie and the Band hits the stage, in The Athletes Village, starting at 8 p.m.

Please note the changes to the 10K Race Walk on March 30, 2025.

8:00 W60+
9:45 W35,40,45,50,55
11:15 M70+
13:00 M60, 65
14:30 M35, 40, 45, 50, 55

Out of an abundance of caution and for the safety of the athletes, the WMA and Local Organizing Committee with the advice of the Chief Medical Officer, have announced due to anticipated weather, if a race is interrupted due to inclement weather it will not re-start.